Grand Prix: organised and hectic

Press, 6 December 1989, Page 23

Grand Prix: organised and hectic

Story, photo and illustration:

GEORGE TANNER

MOST TRAVEL brochures conjure up an image of Adelaide as a city festooned with magnificent churches, agreeable surroundings of spacious parklands, and lovingly-restored colonial architecture. Adelaide also has a reputation for fine food and wines. For 361 days of the year, such descriptions of South Australia’s state capital are to a certain extent accurate. But in early November each year, Adelaide’s tranquil environment is shattered as the Formula One Grand Prix circus takes over with a four-day, multi-million dollar motor racing extravaganza. The festival city begins gearing up for the Grand Prix as early as January, when the State Transport Authority prepares a programme designed to minimise inconvenience to the travelling public during race week.

Erecting the 3.78 km circuit that sweeps majestically through city streets as well as the Victoria park Racecourse, on the eastern side of Adelaide, is an engineering and building project that takes four months to assemble and dismantle at a cost of $7 million. A team of approximately 2000 workers put into place structures that include 2142 concrete barriers and 6670 metres of fencing. Technicians are kept busy installing more than 600 telephones and 290 television monitors.

Construction workers built 45 spacious pit garages, 11 hospitality pavilions, 100 corporate platforms and tens of thousands of multi-coloured grandstand seats. Telecom Australia staff spend up to four months preparing for the event, installing a sophisticated communications system that requires almost 750 km of cabling. A special team of 10 operators, fluent in several languages, operates a mini-exchange at the circuit.

The Adelaide Fire Service play a vital role, training a team of 200 fire marshals. In heavy woollen fire suits and overalls, they are positioned in groups every 150 metres along the circuit. They respond immediately to any accident with a fire threat.

The Australian Grand Prix is now in its fifth year. It is often voted the best on the calendar for organisation. Obstacles this year included the internal airline pilots’ dispute and a big rainstorm which at one stage almost led to a drivers’ boycott of the Grand Prix itself. The threatened washout caused a few anxious moments for the Channel Nine “Wide World of Sport” team responsible for live coverage their telecast to an estimated audience of 750 million people in 74 countries. This year’s race action was

captured on film by 27 hi-tech cameras strategically placed to ensure that none of the drama was missed. It could cost about $2O million to stage the Grand Prix, and it produces $9 million annually in tax revenue alone. The state coffers are usually boosted by a further $7.5 million in ticket sales.

This year’s figures showed a considerable drop from those of 1988. The bad weather that struck mid-morning on race day cost organisers $300,000 in lost ticket sales. The loss of revenue from catering and souvenir sales pushed the financial loss close to $500,000. Despite the gloomy financial deficit, a carnival atmosphere prevailed in Adelaide throughout Grand Prix week. Thousands of visitors and locals took full advantage of the special laws passed to enable extended retail trading hours. The city’s famous Rundle Mall attracted a constant stream of shoppers eegerly purchasing goods from an extensive range of ‘souvenirs and Grand Prix paraphernalia. For those who preferred a stroll through downtown Adelaide, there was plenty of entertainment provided by a number of buskers and colourful street theatre characters.

Throughout the city, the cacophany of tortured engines served as a constant reminder that only blocks away the elite of international motorsport was getting down to business.

Adelaide’s night life was conducted at a similar pace to that of the race track. One of the most eagerly-awaited events on the social calendar is the Grand Prix Gala Ball, held at the Convention Centre. A hefty price tag of $570 a double did little to deter the social elite from attending en masse. For the majority of those at the lower end of the social scale, a popular alternative is the Not The Grand Prix Ball, held on the same night at the less opulent Old Lion Tavern.

As, race day drew nearer, the media turned its attention to the bitter feud between the two Marlboro McLaren Honda drivers, Ayrton Senna of Brazil and Frenchman Alain Prost.

Everywhere you looked, newspaper .billboards displayed sensa-tional-headlines about the controversy. As well as having the desired affect on newspaper sales, it also aroused public interest in the championship series finale, much to the delight of Grand Prix organisers. The story of the race itself has already been well-documented. But in spite of superb television technology, you cannot imagine just how fast and noisy these four-wheeled missiles are until\ you have attended such a race.